Apparatus for and method of dispensing liquefied gases



Aug. 16, 1949. A 0 HANSEN 2,479,070

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF A DISPENSING LIQUEFIED G sEs Filed June .9, 1945 uvvbvrozz. a d fl; Hansen APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF DISPENSING LIQUEFIED' GASES Odd A. Hansen, Kenmore, N. Y., anignor to The Linde Air Products Company, New York, N. Y

a corporation oi Ohio Application June 19. 194:, Serial No. 491,744;

1 v The invention is concerned with the storing and dispensing for industrial use of highly volatile heated gas at substantial pressure. Where large quantities are consumed practical considerations require the storing of the material at the consumer's plant in liquid form. Absorption oi heat from ordinary atmospheric surroundings, however, rapidly vaporizes the liquid, and to avoid losses of material, or the provision of expensive equipment to cope with excessive pressures, it is necessary to store the liquid in insulated containers.

The demands for gas in industrial operations are irregular and usually intermittent with periods of shut-down which maybe of considerable duration. The conditions to be met, therefore, involve the immediate availability of gas at suflicient temperature and pressure and adequate quantities to meet the maximum demands, but the avoidance of accumulation of excessive quantities and pressures during periods of lesser or no demand. n

The presenir invention is directed to the provision of a simple economical arrangement of apparatus and mode of operation and control adapted to meet the conditions indicated in part above. a

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the apparatus embodying features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which are adapted to eilect such steps, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of which invention will be indicated in the a For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,which illustrates in diagrammatic form a system including a main container and a reserve container embodying the principles of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, two pressure containers are employed, having inner walls or suflicient thickness and strength to withstand pressures consistent with the general character of the system and the pressures desired to be maintained. The upper container comprises an inner liquid vessel It and an outer shell ll providing an insulating space I 2 which may have a filling of suit-- able insulating powder, such as magnesium carbonate, and, in addition, if desired, may be evacuated of gases to provide a powder in vacuum insulating means resistant to heat transfer to an exceptionally high degree. -With a powder in vacuum type of insulation the pressure'increase in container l0 during idle periods is very slow and accordingly the container may be designed for lower maximum pressures and of lighter weight.

Suitable means for filling the container with liquid are provided, such as the supply line ll having a branch 14 leading to the upper part or the container for discharging into the normal gas space, and also a branch Ii leading interiorly of the container to near the bottomthereot for discharging into the normal liquid phase. Valves i6 and II in the branches I4 and I5, respectively,

enable selective filling of the container through either one of these branches.

Venting the container to the atmosphere may be eilected through a vapor outlet 32. having therein a shut-ofi valve 33.

A second container is located below the one I just referred to, this second container being similar in general construction and including an inner pressure vessel and an outer shell l with a suitable insulating means 62 in the intervening space. The respective sizes of the two containers Ill and 60 may very, dependent upon the circumstances, but in general the lower con- Each container is provided with an automatic pressure building circuit, the circuit for the upper container comprising the line 66 leading from the bottom of container l0 through control valve 61, heater means 68 and line 69 communicating with the main withdrawal line II. The valve 61. vis made responsive to the pressure in container 10 by wayof a suitable connection such as that shown at I I. l

The pressure building circuit for the lower container'comprises the line 13 connected to the botcontrol valve 14. heater means II, lines 16 and concerned in the present invention. to note, however, thatthis recharging and mea- 11, back to the upper portion of container 80. Line 18 also has a continuation I8 communicating with the withdrawal line 19.

A manually operable shut-oil valve 80- is located in the withdrawal line 10, 19 intermediate the connections thereto of the pipelines 69 and 18 from the respective containers. The line 19 embodies a suitable. regulator valve 8| and may also include a superheater 82. The regulating valve II is designed to deliver gas at a predetermined pressure as, for example, 140 pounds per square inch gauge and the control valves 61 and 14 are adjusted to maintain a supply .pressure a few pounds above the delivery pressure of valve 8!.

In operation it may be assumed, first, that container 60 is filled and the upper container Ill partially filled, at least. At this time valves M and 80 will be open and gas will be withdrawn from primarily the upper part of container ill together with such vapors as may rise through the pipelines 69 and 18. If upon continued operation the pressure in the upper part of container lll drops below the value to which control valve 61 is set, such valve will open and circulation through the heater means 68 will serve to maintain the pressure. Since valve 14 is subjected to both the static pressure and the pressure of the added height of liquid, this valve, if

adjusted for the same value as valve 61, will not open ordinarily at the same time as valve 51. If the pressure should continue to drop due to continued withdrawal of gas material, the valve II will open, however, permitting circulation through the coil 15. Under some circumstances the circuit through the pressure building coil 15 may be adequate to maintain the pressure and, accordingly, the pressure building circuit for the upper container comprising the line 65, valve 61,

' method and in the constructions set forth, which heater means 68 and pipe connections 69, may,

in that case be omitted.

Assuming that the contents of the upper container Ill have been exhausted, this part of the system'cnay then be closed off by simply closing the valves 54 and 80. With that done the container 60 and associated elements comprise a complete temporary storage and dispensing system in which withdrawaljof gas will be through the line I8 initially from the gas space through the line 11, the control valve 14 opening when the pressure drops below the predetermined value for which it is set, and-the withdrawal of material thereupon being for the most part through the liquid line 13 and vaporizing coil 15 which then.

serves the double function of a pressure building means and a withdrawal and vaporizing means for supplying the consumption apparatus.

With the container l0 now completely shut off from the dispensing system, it may be recharged in any manner suitable to conditions with appropriate equipment. The recharging method may have combined therewith suitable provision and methods for measuring the amount of the gas material added in accordance with a preferred method,. the details of which are not particularly Suflice it suring of the charge may be readily done exclusively through the container I0 and without need for making any provision for maintenance of pressure or continued supplying of gas material for consumption, since these functions will be performed in the interim by the auxiliary container 60. The arrangement in general, it will be noted, assures that the container l0 may be completely exhausted of its liquid contents beembody the invention may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

' Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In apparatus for storing and dispensing gas material, the combination of a first pressure container for liquefied gas material and a second pressure container having a connection for supplying it with liquid from said first container, automatically operable means for maintaining the pressure in said containers above a predetermined value embodying a liquid line extending externally of said containers, heater means therein, and a valve connected to be responsive to pressure in said containers for controlling the How of liquid in said line, means for dispensing gas to consumption apparatus embodying a withdrawal line connected to both of said containers, and means for shuttin oil said first container from said second container and the dispensing means and enabling the withdrawal thereafter of gas material solely from said second container. 4

2. In apparatus for. storing and dispensing gas material, the combination of a first pressure container for liquefied gas material and a second pressure container arranged at a lower level having a. connection for supplying it with liquid terial solely from said second container, and

automatically operable means for maintaining the pressure in said second container above a predetermined value during said withdrawal of gas material therefrom.

3. A method of dispensing gas material, comprising charging a main container with the liquefied gas material, connecting said main container with an auxiliary container and charging the latter therefrom, withdrawing the material for consumption while concurrently maintaining the containers in communication and under a pressure above a predetermined value, continuing such condition until the liquid contents of said main container have been exhausted, closing off said main container from the second container and withdrawal connections, withdrawing gas material thereafter from said second container while continuing the maintenance therein of said predetermined pressure by directing controlled amounts of the material from said second container through external heating means, and recharging said first container.

4. In apparatus for storing and dispensing gas material, the combination of a first pressure container for liquefied gas material and a second pressure container having a connection for supplying it with liquid from said first container, gas dispensing means embodying a withdrawal line connected to both of said containers, a fluid circuit arranged externally to both of said containers and having a connection to the upper space of one of said containers andanother connection arranged to receive liquid from one of the containers, heating means in said circuit, automatically controlled valve means in said circuit responsive directly to the pressure in said withdrawal line to control circulation through said circuit and thereby the pressure in said withdrawal line, and means for shutting off said first container from said second container and the dispensing means and enabling the withdrawal thereafter of gas material solely from said second container.

5. In apparatus for storing and dispensing gas material, the combination-of a first pressure container for liquefied gas material and a second pressure container having a connection for supplying it with liquid from said first container, a fiuid circuit located externally of said second container having a connection to the upper space of one of said containers and another connection arranged to receive liquid from one of the containers, heating means in said circuit, automatically controlled valve means in said circuit responsive to pressure therein to control circulation through said circuit and thereby the pressure, gas dispensing means embodying a withdrawal line connected to both of said containers, and means for shutting off said first container from said second container and the dispensing means and enabling the withdrawal thereafter of gas material solely from said second container.

6. In apparatus for storing and dispensing gas material, the combination of a first pressure container and a second pressure container having a connection for supplying it with liquid from said first container, a gas withdrawal line connectible at will with either of said containers, an external fluid circuit having a connection to the gas space of said first container and an opposite connection below the liquid level therein, heatin means in said circuit, automatically controlled valve means in said circuit responsive to the pressure in said withdrawal line to control the circulation through said circuit, means for shutting off said first container from said second container and said withdrawal line and enabling the withdrawal thereafter of gas material solely from said second container, and a pressure maintaining circuit located externally of said second container and connected respectively to the gas and liquid spaces thereof and embodying in the external portion thereof heating means and automatically operable control valve means responsive to pressurein the withdrawal line to control the pressure therein when said means for shutting ofi the first container is made effective.

ODD A. HANSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Van Vleet'e't a1. Feb. 3, 1948 

